Estoril LMP2 News Notebook

Lacorte on Dallara, Schell on Morgan, Panis Barthez still pushing for second LMP2

26 October 2016, 7:25 AM

Villorba Corse

Roberto Lacorte was very pleased indeed with the first impressions of the new Dallara LMP2 car, he drove the first prototype in Italy two weeks ago ahead of Villorba Corse receiving their own car for the 2017 ELMS.

“At first I was quite worried about how big a step it would be from the LMP3 but the car is very, very good.

“It is easy to drive, easier than I thought to find the performance, I am rally looking forward to the season. Lacorte will share the Dallara with long-time team mate Giorgio Sernagiotto and Andrea Belicchi

Julien Schell, Pegasus

Estoril was the final race of the Pegasus Racing Morgan Nissan.

“When I bought it in 2014, it had already raced once in the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2013. It was the best car available back then. So in total, our car did Le Mans four times and covered three ELMS seasons… an incredibly reliable prototype.

“Of course, it is no longer the best car out there now, especially after hitting several barriers this year!”.

The car’s most memorable performance was probably a one-off rainy WEC race in Shanghai last year with Alex Brundle, Ho Pin Tung and David Cheng at the wheel, Brundle leading the race on Michelins after a run through the entire field.

Schell will not be in the LMP2 category next year: “It is a significant budget to run such a car… between 1.5 and 2 Million Euros for a full ELMS season and Le Mans:

“Even if I had such an amount, I would assess what is the best possible P2 out there first. Buying such a car for a team like ours is investing for four or five years in a row. We can’t get that choice wrong”.

Panis Barthez

Whilst there is no confirmation yet of the programme the team has not counted out yet adding a second LMP2 to their already confirmed new Ligier JS P217. They will continue too in LMP3 with their current Ligier JS P3.